Nesting Container Lids with Snap On Wings

ABSTRACT

Stackable lids for a container each include a top surface facing generally in a first direction and a bottom surface opposite the top surface and facing generally in a second direction. Pivotable wing portions extend from each side edge of the lid and each pivotable wing portion is joined to its respective side edge by a hinge. The wing portions are moveable between engaged and disengaged positions, and an inner surface of each wing includes a tab member configured for detent engagement with a rim of the container. The lid also includes corner portions extending between the side edges. Each corner portion includes a skirt portion extending generally in the second direction. Each corner portion also defines a recessed shoulder configured to receive the skirt portion of another when the lids are stacked.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority from, andincorporates the disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/850,696, filed Mar. 26, 2013, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/416,943, filed on Mar. 9, 2012.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to lids for storage containersand more particularly to nesting container lids with snap on wings.

BACKGROUND

A variety of containers and corresponding lids are known for storingitems. When the containers in question are intended to store food, suchas leftovers, it is generally preferred for the container to include anair tight and leak proof seal. Other considerations for containersintended to store food include the ability to store several containersin a minimum amount of space. In this regard many containers and lidsare known with a wide variety of nesting or stacking features that allowthe containers and lids to fit within one another, be removably attachedto one another, or generally to be stored in a manner that reduces theamount of space occupied by multiple containers and lids. In manyinstances, there is a design trade-off between providing a strong, airtight seal between the container and corresponding lid and providingnesting or stacking features that allow multiple containers and lids tobe stored in a minimum amount of space.

SUMMARY

In some aspects a lid for a container is provided. The containerincludes a rim and the lid includes a top surface facing generally in afirst direction and a bottom surface opposite the top surface and facinggenerally in a second direction. The lid also includes side edges. Apivotable wing portion extends from each side edge. Each pivotable wingportion is joined to its respective side edge by a hinge and is moveablebetween a first position where the wing portion extends generallyoutwardly, and a second position where the wing portion extendsgenerally in the second direction. An inner surface of each wingincludes a tab member configured for detent engagement with the rim ofthe container. The lid also includes corner portions extending betweenthe side edges. Each corner portion includes a skirt portion extendinggenerally in the second direction. Each corner portion also defines arecessed shoulder configured to receive the skirt portion of another,substantially identical, lid.

In other aspects, a pair of lids for a container is provided. Thecontainer includes a rim and each lid includes a top surface facinggenerally in a first direction away from the container when the lid isattached to the container, and a bottom surface opposite the top surfaceand facing generally in a second direction toward the container when thelid is attached to the container. Each lid also includes side edges. Apivotable wing portion extends from each side edge. Each pivotable wingportion is joined to its respective side edge by a hinge and is moveablebetween a first position where the wing portion extends generallyoutwardly, and a second position where the wing portion extendsgenerally in the second direction. An inner surface of each wingincludes a tab member configured for detent engagement with the rim ofthe container. Each lid also includes corner portions extending betweenthe side edges. Each corner portion includes a skirt portion extendinggenerally in the second direction. Each corner portion also defines arecessed shoulder. The lids are stackable upon one another. When a firstlid of the pair of lids is stacked upon a second lid of the pair oflids, the recessed shoulders of the second lid each receive a respectiveone of the skirt portions of the first lid.

In still other aspects, a storage container set includes a containerhaving a base, sidewalls, and a rim, and a plurality of lids. Each lidis releasably attachable to the rim of the container and includes a topsurface facing generally in a first direction away from the containerwhen the lid is attached to the container, and a bottom surface oppositethe top surface and facing generally in a second direction toward thecontainer when the lid is attached to the container. Each lid alsoincludes side edges. A pivotable wing portion extends from each sideedge. Each pivotable wing portion is joined to its respective side edgeby a hinge and is moveable between a disengaged first position where thewing portion extends generally outwardly, and an engaged second positionwhere the wing portion extends generally in the second direction. Aninner surface of each wing portion includes a tab member configured fordetent engagement with the rim of the container. The lid also includescorner portions extending between the side edges. Each corner portionincludes a skirt portion extending generally in the second direction,and also defines a recessed shoulder. The lids are stackable upon oneanother such that when a first lid of the plurality of lids is stackedupon a second lid of the plurality of lids, the recessed shoulders ofthe second lid each receive a respective one of the skirt portions ofthe first lid.

In still other aspects, a compressible seal member includes a bodydefining a cross section. The cross section includes a substantiallysquare and hollow outer portion, an inner portion within the outerportion, and a plurality of webs extending between the inner portion andthe outer portion.

In still other aspects, a storage container set includes a containerhaving a base, sidewalls, and a rim. Thee rim includes rim corners andrim side portions. A lid is releasably attachable to the rim of thecontainer. The lid includes a top surface facing generally in a firstdirection away from the container when the lid is attached to thecontainer. The lid also includes a bottom surface opposite the topsurface and facing generally in a second direction toward the containerwhen the lid is attached to the container. Pivotable wing portionsextend along substantially straight side edges of the lid. Eachpivotable wing portion is joined to its respective side edge by a hingeand moveable between a disengaged first position and an engaged secondposition. Corner portions extend between the side edges. Each cornerportion includes a skirt portion extending generally in the seconddirection and covering the rim corners. When the pivotable wing portionsare moved to the engaged second position, the pivotable wing portionscover the rim side portions such that the wing portions and the skirtportions cooperate to substantially completely surround and protect therim of the container.

In still other aspects, a lid for a container includes a top surfacefacing generally in a first direction, a bottom surface opposite the topsurface and facing generally in a second direction, and side edges. Apivotable wing portion extends from one of the side edges and is joinedto its respective side edge by a hinge. The pivotable wing portion ismoveable between a first position where the wing portion extendsgenerally in an outward direction, and a second position where the wingportion extends generally in the second direction. Hinge guards arelocated substantially adjacent each end of the hinge. Each hinge guardextends generally in the outward direction beyond the hinge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container and a snap-on lid.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the container and snap-on lid of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is front elevation view of the container and snap-on lid of FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a section view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a section view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of two of the snap-on lids of FIG. 1,one positioned above the other.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of two of the snap-on lids of FIG. 1stacked one upon the other.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing the encircled portion 8-8 of thecontainer and snap-on lid in FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 a is a cross-section view of a seal for the snap-on lid of FIG.1.

FIG. 9 b is a cross-section view of another seal for the snap-on lid ofFIG. 1.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth to provide a full understanding of the subject technology. It willbe apparent, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art that thesubject technology may be practiced without some of these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques havenot been shown in detail so as not to obscure the subject technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a container 10 and snap-on lid 14. The container 10is generally rectangular and includes a base 18, sidewalls 22 extendinggenerally upwardly from the base 18, and a rim 26 (FIG. 4) extendingaround the upper edges of the sidewalls 22. Containers of differentsizes, shapes, and configurations than that illustrated can also be usedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Insome embodiments, the container 10 is a substantially rigid material,such as glass, ceramic, and variations thereof.

The snap-on lid 14 is also generally rectangular and is releasablyattached to the rim 26 of the container 10. The lid 14 includes a topsurface 30 that faces in a first direction generally away from thecontainer 10 when the lid 14 is attached to the container 10, and abottom surface 34 (FIG. 4) opposite the top surface and that faces in asecond direction generally toward the container 10 when the lid 14 isattached to the container 10. The top surface 30 includes a generallyconcave or recessed portion 36 that is sized to receive the base 18 ofanother container 10 stacked on top of the lid 14. The recessed portion36 improves stability when a container 10 is stacked on top of the lid14.

The lid 14 includes a plurality (e.g., four, as illustrated) ofsubstantially straight side edges 38 and curved corner portions 42extending between the side edges 38. A pivotable wing portion 46 isjoined to and extends from each of the side edges 38. More specifically,each pivotable wing portion 46 is joined to a respective side edge 38 bya hinge 50, such as a living hinge, and is moveable between a disengagedfirst position in which the wing portion 46 extends generally outwardly(see FIGS. 6 and 7) and an engaged second position (FIGS. 1 and 3) inwhich the wing portion extends generally in the second direction, e.g.,toward the base 18 of the container 10 when the lid 14 is attached tothe container 10. In some embodiments, the lid 14 is manufactured frompolypropylene.

FIG. 4 shows the wing portion 46 of the lid 14 in the engaged secondposition and attached to the rim 26 of the container 10. As shown, therim 26 is generally hook-shaped in cross section and includes a lowerconcave surface and an upper convex surface 51. In the illustratedembodiment, the upper convex surface 51 is a smooth, continuously curvedsurface that extends entirely around the perimeter of the container 10and defines an uppermost extent of the container 10. The wing portion 46includes an inner surface 54 that faces toward the upper convex surface51 of the rim 26 and that includes a tab member 52 for engagement withthe lower concave surface of the rim 26. A resilient seal member 58engages the upper convex surface 51 of the rim 26 to provide asubstantially air tight and liquid tight seal between the lid 14 and thecontainer 10. When the wing portion 46 is in the engaged secondposition, the inner surface 54 is directly adjacent to, but notnecessarily touching, the upper convex surface 51 of the rim, and thetab member 52 is in engagement with the lower concave surface of the rim26.

The seal member 58 is received within a seal channel 62 that is formedin the bottom surface 34 of the lid 14. Both the seal member 58 and theseal channel 62 extend around a perimeter of the lid 14. The combinedresiliency of the seal member 58 and the lid 14 permit the tab members52 of each wing portion 46 to be snapped into and out of the recessdefined by the lower concave surface of the rim 26 in a detent manner.In some embodiments, each wing portion 46 includes two tab members 52.

Referring also to FIG. 5, in the illustrated embodiment each cornerportion 42 of the lid 14 is substantially continuously curved andincludes a skirt portion 66 that extends downwardly and around thecorners of the container 10 (i.e., generally in the second direction)when the lid 14 is attached to the container 10. Each skirt portion 66helps properly align the lid 14 with the container 10 as the lid 14 isbeing positioned on the container 10. Proper alignment of the lid 14relative to the container 10 ensures that the seal 58 and the wingportions 46 are correctly positioned for engagement with the rim 26 ofthe container 10.

Each skirt portion 66 includes a lower end 70 terminating in a bottomedge 74. Each corner portion 42 also defines a recessed shoulder 78formed generally in the area between the top surface 30 and the skirtportion 66. The recessed shoulder 78 is configured to receive the lowerend 70 of the skirt portion 66 of another lid 14 when two or more lids14 are stacked one upon the other. More specifically, the shoulder 78includes a first shoulder surface 82 that faces in the first direction,and a second shoulder surface 86 that joins the first shoulder surface82 and faces generally outwardly. In the illustrated embodiment, thesecond shoulder surface 86 also joins the top surface 30; however, otherembodiments may include additional steps, shoulders, or other featuresbetween the second shoulder surface 86 and the top surface 30.

Referring also to FIGS. 6 and 7, when a first lid 14 a is stacked upon asecond lid 14 b, the shoulders 78 of the second lid 14 b receive theskirt portions 66 of the first lid 14 a. More specifically, the bottomedges 74 of the skirt portions 66 of the first lid 14 a engage the firstshoulder surfaces 82 of the second lid 14 b, and the lower ends 70 ofthe first lid 14 a fit over the second shoulder surfaces 86 of thesecond lid 14 b. In some embodiments, with the exception of the wingportions 46, which tend to droop slightly, the only contact between thefirst lid 14 a and the second lid 14 b is the contact between the lowerends 70 of the skirt portions 66 of the first lid 14 a and the first andsecond shoulder surfaces 82, 86 of the second lid 14 b. This is due atleast in part to the height of the skirt portions 66, which issufficient to space the top and bottom surfaces 30, 34 of adjacent lidsapart from one another.

As mentioned above, the height of the skirt portions 66 also aids inalignment of the lid 14 with the container 10. More specifically, theskirt portions 66 extend in the second direction well beyond the bottomsurface 34 of the lid 14 such that, as the lid 14 is positioned over thecontainer 10, the skirt portions 66 receive and corners of the rim 26and guide the lid 14 into position. As a result, the seal member 58 isproperly aligned with the rim 26 before the wing portions 46 are movedfrom the disengaged first position to the engaged second position, whichcompresses the seal 58. As FIG. 6 makes apparent, when the wing portions46 are in the disengaged first position, the skirt portions 66substantially completely cover the corners of the rim 26 of thecontainer 10, while the straight side portions of the rim 26 remainsubstantially exposed when viewed from the front or side. Moving thewing portions 46 to the engaged second position covers the side portionsof the rim 26. Once the wing portions 46 are in the engaged secondposition, the wing portions 46 and the skirt portions 66 cooperate tosubstantially completely surround and protect the rim 26 of thecontainer. More specifically, as best shown in FIG. 2, only a very smallportion of the rim 26 is exposed to the outside by the small spacesbetween the wing portions 46 and the skirt portions 66.

Referring to FIG. 8, each hinge 50 defines a respective hinge axis 90about which the wing portion 46 pivots. A relatively small, U-shapedcutout 94 is provided between the end of the hinge 50 and the end of theadjacent corner portion 42. To protect the hinge 50 and improvedurability of the lid 14, the end of each corner portion 42 includes ahinge guard 98. The hinge guard 98 is substantially aligned with thehinge 50 to protect the end of the hinge 50 and the wing portion 46 fromside impacts, which can contribute to premature failure of the hinge 50.This can particularly be the case when the hinge 50 is in the form of aliving hinge. In the illustrated embodiment the hinge guard 98 extendsin an outward direction (e.g., upwardly as viewed in FIG. 8) beyond thehinge axis 90 such that the hinge axis 90 extends through the hingeguard 98 and a portion of the hinge guard 98 is located a furtherdistance in the outward direction than the hinge axis 90. In otherembodiments, the hinge axis 90 may be substantially coincident with ortangent to the outer-most portion of the hinge guard 98. Also in theillustrated embodiment, the hinge guard 98 is spaced from the end ofadjacent hinge 50 in the direction of the hinge axis 90 by the U-shapedcutout 94.

Referring to FIGS. 9 a and 9 b, in some embodiments, the seal member 58includes a body having a cross section that is symmetrical about both afirst axis 102 and a second axis 106 that is substantially perpendicularto the first axis 102. Other embodiments of the seal member 58 may beasymmetrical about one or both of the axes 102, 106. Although othershapes can be used, in the illustrated embodiments, the cross section ofthe seal member 58 includes outer side walls 108 that define asubstantially square hollow outer portion 110, and a substantiallycircular hollow inner portion 114 positioned within the outer portion110. The inner portion 114 is coupled to the outer portion 110 by aplurality (e.g., four as illustrated) radially outwardly extending webs118 that, in the illustrated embodiments, are substantially aligned withthe axes 102, 106. More or fewer webs 118 in different arrangements, andthinner or thicker outer and inner portions 110, 114 with differentrelative sizes and spacings can be selected to provide the desiredcharacteristics of compressibility and resiliency for the seal.

The cross section of the illustrated seal member 58 also includes aplurality (e.g., three, as shown) of raised ridges 122 formed on theouter surface of each side wall 108 of the outer portion 110. As shown,the substantially square hollow outer portion 110 can includesubstantially straight side walls 108, as in FIG. 9 a, or substantiallycurved or convex side walls 108 as in FIG. 9 b. It has been found insome applications that the curved or convex side walls 108 shown in FIG.9 b have a reduced tendency to fold under compression and can sometimesprovide a better seal than the straight edges of FIG. 9 a. Exemplarymaterials for the seal member 58 include silicone and thermoplasticelastomer (TPE). The configuration of the seal member 58 results insubstantially uniform pressure on all side of the seal member 58 andreduces the possibility of the seal being installed in an improperorientation during assembly.

1. A compressible seal member for a container lid comprising: a bodydefining a cross section, the cross section including a substantiallysquare and hollow outer portion, an inner portion, and a plurality ofwebs extending between the inner portion and the outer portion.
 2. Thecompressible seal member of claim 1, wherein the substantially squareand hollow outer portion includes substantially straight side walls. 3.The compressible seal member of claim 1, wherein the substantiallysquare and hollow outer portion includes curved walls.
 4. Thecompressible seal member of claim 1, wherein the curved walls areconvex.
 5. The compressible seal member of claim 1, wherein the crosssection is substantially symmetrical about both a first axis and asecond axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis. 6.The compressible seal member of claim 5, wherein each of the pluralityof webs is substantially aligned with one of the first axis and thesecond axis.
 7. The compressible seal member of claim 1, wherein thebody includes a plurality of raised ridges formed on outer surfaces ofthe outer portion.
 8. The compressible seal member of claim 1, whereinthe inner portion is substantially circular.
 9. The compressible sealmember of claim 1, wherein the inner portion is hollow.